Thráin II
Thráin II was the father of Thorin II Oakenshield, and as son of King Thrór, was a direct descendant of Durin the Deathless. He became the rightful King under the Mountain and King of Durin's Folk when his father Thrór was murdered in Moria. Biography Early life Thráin was born in the Lonely Mountain to Thrór, who at that time was King under the Mountain. He married sometime before TA 2746 and had three children: Thorin, Frerin, and Dís. Life in exile Thráin fled Erebor with his father, his three children, and the surviving Dwarves of the Lonely Mountain when the Dragon Smaug descended on the mountain in TA 2770, desolating the kingdom and claiming its treasure. Exiled, he and his kinsmen wandered farther south and they eventually settled in the hills of Dunland. They would remain in Dunland for twenty years, reduced to poverty. Years after the destruction of Erebor, poverty took a toll on the mind of King Thrór, rendering him restless and desperate. He sought to journey away in search of a scrap of wealth, though he did not specify Moria. At their parting, he gave to his son Thráin his Ring of Power as well as the map of Lonely Mountain. He departed from his people with a single companion, his only and old friend named Nár. War of the Dwarves and Orcs Nár would return to their dwelling in Dunland many weeks later, but he would mysteriously return alone. He told the tale to Thráin of what had become of his father Thrór, who had brashly ventured into Moria, despite the pleas of Nár to not go forth, but he did not return. Days later, it was revealed that the king had been branded and murdered by Azog the Orc who claimed to now rule the ancient mansions of Durin's Folk. When Thráin heard Nár's recounting of what had become of his father, and that an Orc was ruling their ancestral home, he wept and tore his beard, and then fell silent. For seven days he sat and said no word. However, on the seventh day he stood up and declared "This cannot be borne!" These words were the beginning of the War of the Dwarves and Orcs. Thráin sent messengers to deliver the tale to all the corners of the world. Word was sent to all the Houses of the other Dwarven Fathers. The kings of the other Houses answered to Thráin's call to vengeance, as they all saw this heinous deed committed by Azog to be a profound dishonor to the heir of the eldest of their race, and it raised their fury. While most of the war was fought in the mines and tunnels beneath the Misty Mountains, the climactic Battle of Azanulbizar took place beneath the East-gate of Moria in the valley of Azanulbizar. Heavy losses were inflicted on both sides. Frerin, the younger brother of Thorin Oakenshield was among those that fell. Thráin himself had been wounded in the battle and suffered a grievous eye-wound. The tide of battle at last turned when fresh reinforcements from the Iron Hills arrived late. Realizing that his hordes were being annihilated and routed by the Dwarves, Azog turned and attempted to flee back to the gate but was slain by Dain Ironfoot, bringing about an end to the war. Later life and capture Afterward, Thráin led the remainder of his people, among them his eldest son Thorin Oakenshield, back to Dunland where they dwelt for a while. Eventually they relocated to the northern Blue Mountains where they made their dwelling among the ruins of Belegost. Thráin had also taken with him a map which showed a secret entrance into the Lonely Mountain. After some time, they showed signs of prosperity and their numbers slowly began to increase. Many years later, Thráin grew older and he became restless. His desire to reclaim his kingdom of the Lonely Mountain grew. In TA 2841, he and a group of followers including Balin and Dwalin left their dwelling in the Blue Mountains and journeyed into Wilderland. They were pursued by the servants of Sauron and one morning, in the eaves of Mirkwood, his companions awoke to find that Thráin was missing. They searched in vain for him for days but he could not be found at all. It was later learned that he had been captured and imprisoned in the pits of Sauron's stronghold of Dol Guldur in southern Mirkwood. There he was tortured, and Sauron took from him the last of the Dwarven Rings of Power, and left him there to die.The Lord of the Rings, Appendix A: Annals of the Kings and Rulers, III: Durin's Folk''The Lord of the Rings,'' Appendix B: The Tale of Years (Chronology of the Westlands), "The Third Age"The Lord of the Rings: Appendix B, "The Third Age" Before his death, however, while on a mission to Dol Guldur, Gandalf the Grey came upon Thráin, and was given the map made by Thrór. Thráin appeared so diminished that he had forgotten almost everything as well as his own name. Gandalf promised to deliver it to Thráin's son, but could not confirm that this dwarf was in fact Thráin due to Thráin's loss of memory. There he died.The Hobbit, Chapter I: "An Unexpected Party" Legacy Years later Gandalf met with Thorin near Bree, and realized who the Dwarf he had met in Dol Guldur had been. He promised to help Thorin in his quest to the Lonely Mountain in many ways, the most notable of which was by inviting a Hobbit named Bilbo Baggins along to fulfill the role of burglar. Several decades later, during the Council of Elrond, Glóin admitted that part of Balin's reasons for attempting to re-enter Moria was to find the last dwarven Ring of Power, since it had last been seen in Thrór's possession when he died there. Gandalf regretfully said that Thrór had passed the ring to Thráin, and it had been taken from him in Dol Goldur. Glóin lamented this loss, wondering aloud when, if ever, the dwarves would have their revenge against Sauron. Portrayal in adaptations The Hobbit film trilogy Young Thráin II is played by Michael Mizrahi and Thomas Robins in The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. For the extended edition scenes in the Battle of Azanulbizar and Dol Guldur in ''The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug'''', ''Thráin is portrayed by British actor Sir Antony Sher. He became heir of the lost King under the Mountain and King of Durin's Folk. When his father was killed by Azog in the Battle of Azanulbizar in TA 2799, Thráin tried to restrain his son Thorin from charging towards the Pale Orc and explained that Azog was tasked to wipe out the line of Durin. After ordering his son to stay away from the deadly Orc, Thráin led a charge towards the Dimrill Gate, but was overpowered by Azog and lost Thrór's Ring of Power to the Pale Orc. Many Dwarves believed that Thráin was driven mad by grief and had been among the fallen, but his son Thorin had searched among the dead bodies of Moria and knew that Thráin had survived the battle. However, in truth, it was revealed that he was captured by the Necromancer and became a prisoner in Dol Guldur. During his lifetime in the old fortress, Thráin had been tortured for information about the map and key to the Lonely Mountain, but Thráin refused to answer and would not tell him that he gave the items to Gandalf for safekeeping. After sending Radagast the Brown to Galadriel to tell her of Sauron's return, Gandalf enters Dol Guldur's interior and begins searching for any sign of evil. Deep in the abandoned fortress, a diminished Thráin watches Gandalf, before jumping down onto the wizard. The two engage in battle, until Gandalf manages to restrain Thráin, and bring him to his senses. Gandalf recognizes his old friend, and Thráin tells him he has been in Dol Guldur for a lifetime. Thráin recounts the Battle of Azanulbizar, and how Azog the Defiler severed his finger that bore his Dwarven Ring of Power by a dagger. Gandalf tells Thráin they must leave, but Thráin says there is no way out. Gandalf informs Thráin that his son has embarked on the Quest of Erebor, to which Thráin says that Thorin, or anyone, must not enter the mountain. While making their escape, Thráin continued to explain to Gandalf that Smaug and Sauron, whom he calls The One, are in league with each other until Azog himself launches a surprise attack, knocking Gandalf to the floor. Thráin was terrified when he witnessed the whole army of Guldur Orcs that were getting ready to leave the fortress and travel to the Lonely Mountain. Before Azog can deliver the killing blow, Thráin and Gandalf managed to flee. As they reached the exit of the fortress, Sauron confronts them, preventing them from leaving. Since there was nowhere to run or escape, Thráin tells Gandalf to tell his son, Thorin, that he loves him, to which Gandalf replies he can tell Thorin himself once they get out of here. Thráin told him that it was too late, and despite Gandalf's attempts to protect him, he was grabbed by the The Necromancer's form and killed. Voice dubbing actors Translations References de:Thráin II. es:Thráin II fr:Thráin II he:ת'ריין השני it:Thráin II pl:Thráin II ru:Траин II Category:Dwarves Category:Durin's Folk Category:Kings of Durin's Folk Category:Kings of the Lonely Mountain Category:Ring bearers Category:The Hobbit Characters Category:The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Characters Category:The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug Characters